Now, Edison wants to be a dedicated father to Alaia, too. “I’m trying to be a good father. I don’t know how to exactly define that, but I just want to spend as much time and guide my child as much as possible. Money can’t replace the feeling of seeing (her) walk or speak for the first time.”

His fashion business – built up largely out of the public eye – is giving him clout again, with his label Clot even getting invitations to participate in the New York and Paris fashion weeks this year.

Clot, which he started 15 years ago with a friend, is stocked by retailers such as Harrods, Dover Street Market and, soon, Selfridges.

The label has racked up prestigious tie-ups with shoe giant Nike and rapper Kanye West.

Edison Chen, who was known for his hard partying a decade ago, is now a family man. In 2017, his model-girlfriend Qin Shupei, 28, gave birth to his first child, a girl named Alaia.
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In 2016, Edison made headlines after he stood up for Qin, berating Taiwanese superstar model Chiling Lin for trying to get Qin booted out of a fashion reality show for Shanghai’s Dragon TV.
Now, Edison wants to be a dedicated father to Alaia, too. “I’m trying to be a good father. I don’t know how to exactly define that, but I just want to spend as much time and guide my child as much as possible. Money can’t replace the feeling of seeing (her) walk or speak for the first time.”
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The effort is paying off. “It’s interesting to see how having a family affects people’s view of you,” Edison said.
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“(Recently), Ralph Lauren saw me and asked: ‘Where’s your daughter?’
“And I said: ‘I’m here (and you want to talk about her), what’s up?’ He seems to like my daughter a lot.”
His fashion business – built up largely out of the public eye – is giving him clout again, with his label Clot even getting invitations to participate in the New York and Paris fashion weeks this year.
Clot, which he started 15 years ago with a friend, is stocked by retailers such as Harrods, Dover Street Market and, soon, Selfridges.
The label has racked up prestigious tie-ups with shoe giant Nike and rapper Kanye West.
In an interview in the December issue of T: The New York Times Style Magazine Singapore, Chen said: “What’s important to us is to be recognised by the world that we are a Chinese brand but we work with the best company.”
His business savvy has also been tapped by academics to inspire young people. Last year, he spoke at a United States-China Entrepreneurship Business Forum held at New York University.
A version of this story first appeared in The Straits Times.
Photos: Instagram